Leak reducer for joints between relatively rotatable conduits



June 10, 1947. DE Los E. HIBNER ET AL 2,421,939 LEAK REDUCER FOR JOINTSBETWEEN RELATIVELY ROTA TABLE CONDU ITS Filed May 2, 1944 Patented June10, 1947 LEAK REDUCER F RELATIYELY'RQ De LosE. Hibner an Fred en's-e mBois 1 assignors to Vulcan Soot Blower .Cdrporationilit on JoiN'rsBETWEEN TATABn r-ooNnmTs corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 2,1944, Serial No. 533,746

1 Claim. 1

In a common form of soot blower there is a tubular blowing or jettingelement rotatably mounted at one end inv a head containing a steamchamber between which and the blowing element is a valve to controladmission of steam to the latter. The tubular element is surrounded by astuffing box on the head to make the joint steam tight. Because of theconsiderable pressure at which the steam is delivered, the packing mustbe proportionately long to insure against leakage past the same to theexterior. The longer the packing, the greater is the dimension of thehead unit measured in the direction of the length of the tubular elementand this dimension may, therefore, at times be greater than is desirableor permissible.

The object of the present invention is to make it possible to shortenthe packing and the stufling box in situations such as that justdescribed without impairing the effectiveness of the seal.

Other conditions remaining the same, less packing is needed when thepressure of the fluid seeking to escape past the same is reduced and,viewed in one of its aspects, the present invention may be said to havefor its object to produce simple and novel means to prevent the steam orother fluid. from exerting its full pressure on the packing.

The various features of novelty whereby our invention is characterizedwill hereinafter be pointed out with particularity in the claim; but,for a full understanding of our invention and of its objects andadvantages, reference may be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a sectional view showing a fragment of a soot blower headand a fragment of the tubular blowing element connected therewith,together with the steam valve and a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; and Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, illustrating amodification and showing the steam valve open instead of closed as inFig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1 of the drawings, I represents a soot blower headcontaining a steam chamber 2 and a tubular, hub-like extension 3, thebore in which communicates with the steam chamber. The open end of atubular blowing element 4 extends into and is rotatable in the member 3.The bore in the outer end of the member 3 is enlarged in diameter toform a Stllfiing box 6 which contains a packing 5, held in by a gland T.In the steam chamber is a valve 8 which, when closed, shuts offcommunication between the-steam chamber and the tubular blowing element.

Allof the parts, numbered I to 8, are old and well known and areillustrated and described simply to explain the new feature constitutingthe present invention.

In accordance with our invention the steam, when the valve is opened, isdelivered into the blowing element through a nozzle 9 coaxial therewith;and, acting on the old ejector principle, creates a partial vacuum inthe space H] behind the inner end of the blowing element and surroundingthe nozzle. Therefore, the steam going to the blowing element, insteadof trying to force its way outwardly through the packed joint, tends todraw outside air inwardly through this joint. It accordingly followsthat the stuffing box may be made substantially shorter than in oldstyle construction without impairment of the seal around the [blowingelement.

In the arrangement shown, the external diameter of the nozzle is only alittle smaller than the internal diameter of the blowing element. Also,the internal diameter of the nozzle is shown as increasing verygradually from the inlet end to the outlet end to provide a flaring boreII that directs the steam against the inner surface of the blowingelement a short distance beyond the outlet end of the nozzle. Howevernozzles of other sizes and shapes, giving the true venturi and slowcharacteristic stopper efiect, may he used.

It will be seen that the nozzle may extend back clear to the steamchamber. In that case the seat l2 for the valve may be formed in theinner or receiving end of the nozzle. Furthermore, the nozzle may have athickened or headlike part l3 at its inner end for reception in a shortcounterbore l4 open to the steam chamber. With that construction thenozzle may be inserted, in making an assembly, through the steam chamberand be secured in place by welding, as indicated at l5.

In Fig. 2 the construction differs from that in Fig. 1 only in that thevalve cooperates with a seat l6, separate from the nozzle, while thenozzle I! is screwed into the hub member 3 after being inserted throughthe outer end of the latter.

While we have illustrated and described with particularity only a singlepreferred form of our invention, with a slight modification, We do notdesire to be limited to the exact structural de-' tails so illustratedand described; but intend to cover all forms and arrangements which come3 within the definitions of our invention constituting the appendedclaim.

We claim: In combination, a soot blower head containing a chamber forcleaning fluid under pressure and a tubular hub-like part the bore inwhich communicates with said chamber and terminates in a stuffing box, atubular blowing element extending from the outside through and freelyrotatable in the stuffing box, and a nozzle fixed at its inner end inand filling the inner end of said hub-like part and extending asubstantial distance into the inner end of the blowing element.

DE LOS E. HIBNERQ FRED C. AREY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,720,543 Darby July 9, 1929612,414 Hall Oct. 18, 1898 2,260,500 Wylie Oct. 28, 1941 1,785,501 SecorDec. 16, 1930 1,802,766 Kerr Apr. 28, 1931 1,948,909 Evans Feb. 27, 1934

